


(You're My) Foundation Beneath These Walls

by littlebluewhalen



Series: The Process of Getting Over It [2]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up, Heartbreak, Hurt/Comfort, Lukanette, Moving On, platonic ladynoir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-20 18:40:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21061349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlebluewhalen/pseuds/littlebluewhalen
Summary: After being comforted by Luka the entire night prior, Marinette is feeling refreshed. But what's the first step onto her path of healing?





	(You're My) Foundation Beneath These Walls

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys like this next installment! It's not nearly the length of the first one, but that's okay I think. Hopefully I'll be updating this series pretty regularly until it's conclusion.

Sunlight slowly flooded the room, causing Marinette to crack her eyes open. Marinette took a deep breath, her brain stalling when an unfamiliar scent invaded her senses. The girl forced her eyes open and looked around; she was in Luka's room.  
She'd almost forgotten.  
Last night really had been wonderful, and Luka really did help her out. It was better than going home and crying for hours, anyway. Marinette took another deep breath and snuggled further into the blankets, only stopping when she realized that as she moved, she was wriggling against something. Marinette looked down confusedly, only to see a pair of tan arms hugging her around the middle. A brilliant blush took ahold of Marinette as she realized that she was in Luka's arms, and he was... spooning her.  
She didn't really mind; Marinette felt safe and comfortable like this. But still, this was intimate, and a bit inappropriate...

Marinette stilled as she felt her friend shift behind her, and felt him huff on her neck before squeezing her tighter, burying his face into her hair. Marinette blushed, but simply stayed quiet, and put her arms over his, letting herself snuggle back into the mattress. She could stay here forever, she thinks. Her heart feels light in this moment; with the morning sunshine lighting the room in a wondrous golden glow, seeing the rays bounce off of the wooden floors, hearing the river lap at the sides of the boat ever so gently. Marinette took a moment to process everything last night.

Marinette had been seriously hurt last night. Of course, it wasn't Adrien's fault; just because she had feelings for him didn't mean he had to return them. Hadn't he always referred to her as a friend? Hadn't he always told her that she was a good friend of his? He had never, not once led her on, or hinted that there could be more to his feelings. No, that had been Marinette, looking too far, reading between lines that weren't even there. Marinette felt guilt gnaw at her as she realized that her anger at him had been misdirected. Not that she'd done anything to him, not that she would ever; she was just... hurt. 

Disappointed, maybe?

Marinette's mind wandered, and she wondered if she had ever really been in love with him at all. I mean, did she ever have a crush before him? How would she know if it was love? Had she just assumed and put all of her eggs in one basket? Her brain ran over this conclusion multiple times, but she couldn't form an answer. If only there was someone she could talk to...

_Chat._

Marinette's mind betrayed her and it stumbled upon another topic she didn't really want to think about, but she knew that she would have to. She had to sort out her emotions sometime.  
She was hurt by Chat. Chat Noir was one of her best friends. There are only so many times you can see someone almost die in your arms without being connected to them for what she hoped was eternity. Somewhere along the line of their two year friendship - their partnership - they had crossed the line of coworkers that she had so clearly drawn. Though Marinette didn't necessarily feel romantically attracted to him, she felt as though their souls were still bound forevermore, an inseparable bond that she could - and would - never want to break. They talked about their futures, how to defeat Hawkmoth, how to improve their skillset, what they did during the day, what their weekend plans were, funny things that their (unnamed) friends did. They could rely on each other, they talked to each other. And at some point, Marinette realized that she liked having his attention and his undivided heart. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that maybe, just maybe, she was a tad bit jealous at whoever had managed to steal him away. And also...

she _missed_ him.

Did she push him away by insisting that they remain on-the-job friends strictly? That they not reveal themselves?  
Did she... make him feel unimportant to her?  
Marinette sighed deeply as these thoughts swam around her head, and she realized that she had been a bit unfair to him, and that her feelings of hurt most likely weren't hers alone. Marinette rubbed her eyes with her hands, and before she could get too upset, Luka shifted behind her, and his steady breaths helped calm her down. 

"What are you thinking, Marinette?" A familiar voice spoke up, and her kwami came into view in front of her face.

"Good morning, Tikki," Marinette yawned, reaching out to rub her kwami lightly on the head, "I'm thinking that I have to talk to Chat Noir. And I have to let these feelings go." The girl decided resolutely. Tikki nodded along. 

"I think that's a good idea, Marinette. I think talking with Chat Noir will soothe that worry over, and trying to let go of Adrien will release a lot of the heartbreak you feel. As for Lila and your friends.... well, we'll deal with it. I don't know how to get rid of Lila, but... clearly, you still have friends." Tikki giggled, motioning to Luka. Marinette rolled her eyes but blushed regardless, noting that the kwami was indeed correct. 

"You're right, Tikki. And Luka is, too; one day, Chat and I will defeat Hawkmoth, and we won't have to be fighting constantly anymore. This just... sucks." Marinette replied. Tikki nodded her head eagerly.

"That's the Marinette I like to see! You're so resilient, you know, I really admire that about you. You're a good person, Marinette." Tikki said, nuzzling Marinette's face with her own, to which Marinette grinned. 

"She's right, you know." Another voice joined the conversation suddenly, which made Marinette let out a little 'eep!' and turn around suddenly in Luka's arms, causing him to release his hold on her. 

"L-Luka! I- um- this is my, uh-" Marinette was cut off by her floating friend. 

"I'm Tikki, I'm Marinette's kwami! It's unfortunate that you know she's Ladybug, but now that you do, there's not much that can be done about it. Nice to meet you!" Tikki exclaimed, floating over to Luka. Luka smiled at the little mystical being and nodded his head. 

"You as well, Tikki. Sorry for interrupting your conversation; I heard a new voice that I didn't recognize, so it woke me up. I'm usually half-asleep since I can hear anything and everything." Luka explained. 

"It's okay, I just wasn't expecting that," Marinette laughed, "what time is it?"

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Mari," Luka started, rolling over to grab his phone off the nightstand, "andddd it's about 10 am." Marinette sighed. 

"Alright. Well, I guess I'd better go. I have some homework to get to, and I think I'm finally ready to take some time to myself to sort everything out." Marinette replied, though reluctantly. She sat up and stretched her arms above her head, popping her back.

"That's understandable. Let me get dressed and I'll walk you home." 

/

A few minutes later, they were both disembarking the Liberty, talking casually. Marinette's heart was still heavy, but after an actually peaceful night's sleep, and getting her feelings all out in the open, she really did feel better. She felt capable of handling everything, at least. And besides... she still had Luka at her side. 

The pair finally arrived at her bakery, and she turned to him outside of the door. 

"I just realized we didn't eat! Would you like to grab a few pastries?" Marientte asked kindly, smiling up at him. He felt his face soften as he stared down at the object of his affections.

"Sure, that'd be great, Ma-Ma-Marinette."

With that, the two entered the bakery, and were immediately affronted by all of the customers inside of the tiny patisserie. Marinette grabbed Luka's hand and tugged him along to the back of the shop, saying hi to everyone there that she knew, avoiding small talk, but not ignoring anyone. Her parents were at the counter, doling out the baked goods in the glass cases with experienced hands. Marinette and Luka worked their way around the case, and after he stopped to offer a quick hello to her parents, she ushered him into the kitchen, asking him what pastries he wanted in the process.  
Marinette went around the case and hugged both of her parents quickly.

"Hi Papa, Maman! I'm sorry I only just got back, you should have texted me that you needed help!" Marinette scolded lightly, grabbing two pastries out of the case quickly. Sabine simply shook her head. 

"Duck, you were out having fun with your friends! I know it's been a while since you've gone out. You do not work here, though we always appreciate your help." Sabine replied, leaning over to give her daughter a quick kiss on the cheek. Marinette smiled. 

"Alright, but still! I'm just going to give these to Luka to take home, and then I'll be back out to help." Marinette replied. Her parents agreed, and she made her way back into the kitchen. 

"Sorry about that, Luka. Here you go!" She said happily, handing him a paper bag filled with a cheese danish and chocolate croissant.

"Thanks, Mare. I appreciate it, your parents are master bakers." He replied smoothly. She grinned at him. 

"You're welcome! You've done so much for me, I hope this repays it, just a little bit." He simply smiled at her.

"You don't ever have to repay me. It's what friends do." Marinette's heart fluttered, and she stepped forward to give him a hug, which he reciprocated. 

"I have to help my parents, but text me when you get home, okay?" Marinette said, breaking the hug and walking him out the kitchen door. He nodded in response, before waving to her parents, and making his way through the crowd and out the door.

"Okay, back to work!" Marinette said to herself to pump herself up, before walking behind her parents. 

"Great! And after, you can tell us more about this Luka boy who walked you home." Tom exclaimed, moving over to allow her to get to the goods case. Marinette simply blushed, and with an embarrassed shout of "Papa!", quickly got to work.

/

The rush had ended two hours later, and Marinette was released up to her room to do homework, with the promise of catching up with her parents once their workday ended. Marinette got to her room, took out her notebooks and textbooks and set to work, but it was no use; her scatterbrained mind wouldn't stop pulling in fifty different directions, and her mind kept circling back to Chat and Adrien. Marinette sighed and pushed up from her desk. 

"Tikki, spots on." Marinette suddenly called. Maybe doing some patrolling would help set her mind straight. Marinette climbed out of her room, onto her balcony, and when she ensured that she wouldn't be seen, jumped on top of the bakery's roof, and ran along the skyline. She just ran and ran, and in the back of her mind, realized there hadn't been an akuma attack in two days. She frowned; they were definitely due for one soon. She just hoped it wasn't today. 

After half an hour of just running and jumping and swinging around Paris, Marinette ended up on top of the Eiffel tower, looking out over the city. She sighed and fidgeted with her yoyo.

"Better now than never, i guess." Ladybug mumbled to herself, before flipping open her yoyo, and sending an alert message to Chat Noir, followed by a,

_Hey, can we talk? I'm on the tower._ text. The alert message would let Plagg know that Ladybug needed him, and the text would show up on Chat's staff once he transformed. She just hoped that wherever he was, he wasn't busy. 

Ladybug took a moment to breathe. She took one deep inhale after the other, trying to center herself and focus on the way the breeze shifted her hair, the smells of Paris, the people milling around. A long while had passed before she felt a shaking beside her.

"My Lady?" That oh so familiar voice called to her, and she noted the confusion drenching his tone. Ladybug sighed and closed her eyes, her head tilted up towards the sun. 

"Hello, Chaton." Ladybug said simply, finally lolling her head towards him. She cracked her eyes open and noted his worried expression, and her heart clenched. His green eyes seemed boundless. 

"What's going on?" He asked again, settling beside her. She looked out across Paris again.

"I hope you weren't busy. Me asking you to meet here was purely selfish, kitty." 

"No, I had finished what I needed to do. I have about an hour of free time, starting since I got here. What's up, Bug?" He asked again, steadying her face. 

"I just... need to talk. I'm just going to let it all out." Ladybug warned, glancing at his eyes. He simply nodded as he studied her, his full attention on her, and solely her. 

"How did you... Well, do you... I mean... do you still love me?" Ladybug spat out at once, avoiding his faze and feeling intensely awkward. Chat Noir stilled.

"Um... I... I mean, yeah, I do. But I don't... I don't know if I was ever... in love with you. But I do love you; you're my partner, Bug. I don't know what I'd do without you." He assured her. Marinette bit her lip.

"Why do you think you're not in love with me anymore?" Her voice came out small, and more scared than she wanted it to. Chat Noir blinked and looked away, mulling over the question. 

"Well... I mean, when I first saw you, I thought there was nothing more gorgeous that I'd ever see in my entire life. And when I met you, and I saw how nervous you were about heroics, but you still pulled through and saved the day, I was smitten. And, I was so sure there was no one else better; there never could be anyone else better. And I still stick by that," He said, casting a smile over to her, "and I still think you're amazing, and you're still My Lady. But... some months back, you said something about putting you on a pedestal, and I realized that maybe I was. And I got to know you better, I got to know you more, and you... you helped me a lot, Ladybug. Just... being there for me, and being my friend... I realized that you never rejected me; you just rejected my feelings. You always wanted to be my friend. So... I just backed off. And in doing so, I got to focus on me a little bit more." Chat paused again here, seemingly to gather his thoughts. He looked down at Paris, to all of the lives he saved, and finally, over to Ladybug, who was simply staring at him, roving her eyes over his figure. Their eyes locked, and he spoke again. 

"I can't get into too many details obviously, but... I haven't grown up with a great home life. I... haven't really experienced affection or blatant love from my personal life in a long time. So... I think that, I took what I felt for you, and I just ran with it. I didn't know what being in love was versus just loving someone, but you helped me figure that out. Because I knew you always loved me, but you were never in love with me. And in realizing that, I just kind of... reevaluated, i guess?

Plus, I realized that I relied on being Chat too much... I tried to make something out of my civilian life, as miserable as I was in it. I was too passive. In trying to enjoy my regular life more, I realized that I love the friends I have, and a girl captured my attention, and slowly, we grew closer. I still love being Chat, of course, I would never give it up! But I'm just... trying to find a balance." Chat finished. Ladybug stared at her hands as she listened, absorbing every word. A few moments of silence lapsed between them.

"Ladybug...?" Chat's questioning voice broke through her reverie, and she shook her head vigorously.

"Sorry, Chat. Yeah, I'm... trying to find the balance, too. I just... am starting to wonder if I was ever really in love with the guy I always said I was." Ladybug sighed, her hands fidgeting with each other. Chat's eyebrows rose at this, and he took one of her hands in her own.

"Why don't you tell me about it, Bug?" He assuaged, so gently, so tenderly. Ladybug looked at his eyes and nodded slightly.

"Well... I've told you a bit about him before. Recently, he started dating this other girl, and we're friends, and I like her, but... it just hurts. But then I'm thinking that... maybe I had him up on a pedestal, too. I never really tried to be good friends with him, because anytime he was around, I was so caught up in my own mind about my feelings for him. And now, I feel like I'm losing him, even though I never had him. But I'm just... wondering if this is a crush I took too far. The more I think about it, the more I realize he's not as perfect as I made him out to be, but that's doesn't really... make me like him any less. I just... want to get over this." Ladybug concluded. 

"Well, it sounds like you do have real feelings for him, but maybe not for who he actually was. I think you should just try to be friends with him, with no expectations. I mean, hey; it's working pretty well for me. You're my best friend, Bugaboo. I want you in my life however I can have you." Chat said sincerely, rubbing his thumb over her hand. Ladybug felt tears spring up in her eyes once again.

"Chat, you know that... you know that you're so important to me, right? You're my best friend too. I don't ever want to lose you. Sometimes I think about everything we go through and I get scared that one day I won't be able to bring you back and..." Ladybug trailed off, fighting to keep her tears at bay, screwing her eyes shut and taking some breaths. Chat said nothing, but moved closer to her and pulled her to his chest, hugging her around her shoulders, resting his head atop hers. 

"I know, Lady, I know. You won't, we're in this together. We're together forever, no matter what." Chat's soothing voice calmed her, and he squeezed her just a little bit tighter, as she cried into his chest. 

For the second time in 24 hours, Marinette cried in someone's arms, and felt the better for it.

/

Marinette collapsed on her bed, exhausted once more. She released her transformation, and Tikki flew over to her stash of cookies before zooming back to Marinette. 

"So? Did that help" Tikki asked, chewing on her cookie. Marinette thought for a moment, still processing her conversation with Chat.

"...Yeah. It did," Marinette looked at Tikki, "Everything he said made sense. I think I just... need to take some time to myself. And try to be Adrien's friend... with no ulterior motives in mind. I've always wanted to be near him and be there for him because I care about him, but... now that I think about it, a lot of the plans I've had to hang out with him have been to make him reciprocate my feelings for him, and that's... not right. I want to be friends with him." Marinette said decidedly. Tikki agreed with her. 

"It's also nice to know that Chat still cares about me a great deal, just... maybe not in the way that either of us were used to. It's just change and growth at the end of the day, right?" Marinette said, her voice sounding a bit lighter, a bit happier. Tikki smiled as she finished off her cookie. 

"You're very level-headed, Marinette. Things take time. Nothing will be solved overnight, but I think you're on the right track to becoming healed." Tikki assured her, and Marinette smiled, then looked down as her phone pinged.

**Luka:** How are you doing?

Marinette grinned despite herself. 

**Me:** Much better. Trying to sort my feelings out rn.  
**Luka:** I always find that strumming it out helps me. Maybe you could write it down?  
**Me:** Haha maybe, I just wish you were here to strum out my thoughts for me.  
**Luka:** We could facetime ?

Marinette bit her lip; she would love to hear his music right now, but facetiming him after spending all night with him...  
Oh, what the hell.  
Before she even realized what she was doing, Marinette had clicked the facetime button to call him, and he picked up right away, smiling at her. Marinette grinned shyly back and waved.

"Are you sure this is okay? You're not busy?" Marinette asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I don't have any deliveries to make for about two more hours." Luka responded easily, before setting his phone on the nightstand and grabbing his guitar.

"So what's up?" Luka asked again, settling his guitar on his lap.

"Well... I talked to Chat Noir. About... things." Marinette replied, still uneasy about talking about this to anyone. Luka nodded. 

"And how do you feel about that?" He coaxed. She thought for a minute. 

"Mmm.. it was bittersweet." Marinette replied. Luka nodded. 

"So, something like this?" Luka then strummed a melancholy tone, but it was rife with high-pitched, light notes, toeing the lie between depressing and upbeat. Marinette closed her eyes as she listened, and opened them as he stopped.

"Luka, yes! That was incredible, you really do have a talent." Marinette gushed. Luka smiled.

"I'm glad you like it. Why don't you grab a notebook and write down how the song made you feel? It might help you sort your feelings. I'll play it again." He suggested, to which she eagerly agreed. 

This is how the next hour went; she would tell him about how the things in her life made her feel, he would play a matching rhythm, and she would write down how the nuances of the song made her feel, and how they related to her own life. Doing this helped her write down the pros and cons of each situation, and calmed her down a great deal. Being with Luka helped, too, of course. Marinette hadn't even realized an hour had passed until Alya had texted her, making plans with Marinette for the evening. 

"Oh gosh, Luka! It's already 2:30! Sorry to have kept you on this long." Marinette apologized, setting aside her notebook. 

"It's never a bother, Marinette. I love talking to you." He said genuinely, causing a light blush to dust her cheeks.

"Right... well, I'd better go. I feel a lot better now, so I'm going to try to do my homework before I hang out with Alya tonight." Marinette said reluctantly. Luka nodded in understanding.

"I get it. Well, it was lovely talking to you again, Marinette. I'll see you later." He replied. Marinette smiled, feeling a warmth french over her heart, filling her being. 

"Yeah. Thanks again, Luka. I'll text you later. Bye." Marinette responded before hanging up. Once she did, she grinned like n idiot, hugging her phone to her chest. 

/


End file.
